A Spiraling Story
At its core, Vertigo is a film about obsession, identity, and the lengths people will go to for love—or at least their idea of it. Stewart plays Scottie, a retired detective who’s afraid of heights (hence the title). He’s hired to follow a woman named Madeleine, played by Kim Novak, and as you might guess, things go downhill fast.
But what makes Vertigo so gripping isn’t the plot itself—it’s how it’s told. Hitchcock uses spirals as a recurring motif, from the opening credits to the dizzying camera shots. It’s like the film is constantly pulling you deeper into Scottie’s warped perspective, whether you want to go there or not.
The Wanderers of Vertigo
The word wander plays a key role in Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, especially in a conversation between Scottie and Madeline outside his house. Madeline says, “Only one is a wanderer. Two together are always going somewhere.” This line carries a deeper meaning about their emotional states, showing how both of them are, in a sense, lost.
Madeline reflects on being lost, trapped in a life and role that aren’t truly hers. Her wandering is internal, as she struggles with her false identity. Scottie, too, becomes lost in his obsession with her, his journey becoming psychological as he distorts reality in pursuit of her. Madeline's remark, “Only one is a wanderer,” highlights their disconnection. Even when they’re physically close, they’re emotionally distant, heading in different directions. Madeline is stuck in her role, and Scottie’s obsession takes him down a destructive path, making them both wanderers in their own right.
By the end of Vertigo, the idea of wandering deepens. They’re not just lost in their personal journeys—they’re trapped in cycles of obsession and illusion. The wandering represents how their emotional distance keeps them from truly connecting. Despite their shared space, they remain eternally adrift, unable to break free from their inner turmoil. In this sense, wander becomes a symbol of their disconnection. Even when together, they are both lost—one in illusion, the other in obsession.
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